Even Artemis Fowl II Gets Nightmares
by Minevera Elizabeth Juniper
Summary: Post LC. Dale wakes up to his roomate's tortured screams in the middle of the night. "Mother! Mother, please be reasonable!" A pained voice begged in the darkness. Probably just be a one-shot depending on reviews and my own lazyness. Main OC POV.
1. Even Artemis Fowl II Gets Nightmares

**Even Artemis Fowl II Gets Nightmares**

I was having my usual dream. I was in the school ballroom and I we were having our annual school dance. Yeah you heard me right. Ballroom not gym. And of course with a school as prestigious as St. Bartleby's School for Young Gentlemen and Ladies this was not your ordinary school dance. We were all in our formal wear, tuxedos and ball gowns and having a blast.

I was the center of attention because this _was_ a dream after all. I was doing crazy back flips combined with the classical waltzing and fox trotting and all those fancy rich people dances. And all the girls in the school were lining up to dance with me, and indeed a few guys too. I was a superstar. The dream was just getting to my favorite part where the most popular girl in school Lena Calhoun starts a cat fight over me with Paul McGauran and a bunch of cheerleaders when I was rudely awakened by a blood curling scream.

Well okay maybe blood curling is a bit of an exaggeration, but there was defiantly some screaming going on.

"Mother! Mother, please be reasonable." A pained voice begged in the darkness.

I sat up in bed and looked blearily at my roommate, my mind still muddled by sleep.

A gasp came from the writhing figure on the bed across the large dorm room.

"Nothing's going to hurt you I promise. They're not real! There's nothing there. Nothing to be afraid of." He continued dejectedly. He was having some kind of nightmare about his mother…

I blinked, fully awake now, as my eyes adjusted to the darkness. The sight before me was shocking. My roommate, the infamous Artemis Fowl II… was crying. He was crying in his sleep. Tossing and turning in his bed. His blanket was tangled around him and his pillows had fallen off the mattress. He was still talking in his sleep too. Talking to the mother in his dream.

"I-It's me! Mother don't you recognize me? I'm your son A-arty!" He choked. I stared at him for a moment longer, frozen. I didn't know what to do. Artemis's tortured form was really heart breaking. I felt like I would start balling my eyes out if I had to watch this any longer. Should I try to wake him up?

"F-father…he's not…." He trailed off. He didn't seem to know what to say to his nightmare mother. I decided enough was enough. I jumped out of bed and walked quickly across the room. When I reached Artemis's bed he was still crying. He was trembling and shaking like a scared little kid. I griped his shoulders and started shaking him. "Artemis wake up!"

He threw his arms over his face defensively.

"He's not dead! I'll find him…" He mumbled against his arms.

"Artemis!" I shouted.

Artemis blinked his eyes open. His mismatched blue and hazel eyes stared at me looking panicked. Then they blinked again in sleepy confusion. He looked around the room with his piercing eyes. Processing and calculating. Then he looked back at me and said rather calmly, "Would you be so kind as to get off me? You're restricting my breathing." I realized with a start that I had sort of climbed on top of him in my effort to wake him up. Blushing slightly I scooted off of him and to the other side of his bed. Then I studied him carefully.

He was slowly controlling his breathing and looking down at the floor in mournful contemplation. Artemis brought a shaky hand to his cheek and felt the wet trail of tears that had run down his face while he was a sleep. Looking disgusted with himself he angrily wiped them awake and scowled at his hands. Artemis Fowl II was not usually the type to display his emotions and he was not happy at all about being caught crying, albeit crying in his sleep.

In the soft moonlight that came from the dorm windows he looked paler then usual and his dark raven hair contrasted with his gaunt face sharply. His hair was tousled and I couldn't help but be a little amazed. I'd never seen Artemis Fowl with bed head before. He usually woke up hours before me perfectly composed, his hair tidy and neat, his school uniform pressed and clean.

When he sat like that his arms on his knees his gaze on the ground looking so sad and thoughtful, I couldn't help but feel a little turned on. He was so beautiful, so mysterious and…. _Vampirish. _

"It's impolite to stare." He said with quiet contempt and I jumped and blushed furiously. I wasn't usually so obvious. It was creepy how he could catch me even in the darkness. And he wasn't even looking at me! His mismatched gaze was still directed at the dorm room floor.

"S-sorry Artemis." I stammered.

Artemis sighed. "No I apologize. It's just that… It get's trying after a while. All the staring."

I blinked. I'd never thought something like that could bother him. Not Artemis Fowl II. I wouldn't even expect him to have noticed.

Because everyone _did_ stare at him. You can't reappear after three years with no explanation and not be stared at. And even before that he was always worth staring at. He had that commanding presence that just demanded you take notice. And he was a genius after all. It was impossible for him not to draw attention to himself. He would make the teachers look like idiots during lessons. And he'd get all his work done in seconds and then spend the rest of the period ignoring everyone as he read some huge tomb of a book. Nearly everyone hated the kid back then. He was so arrogant and full of himself. And the worst part was he had a right to be.

During Artemis's three year absence he became a legend. People would talk about all the school counselors and teachers that had quit because of him. Most were said to have fled the school crying hysterically. And kids would gossip and speculate about what had happened to him. Some said he was kidnapped by the mafia taken as a hostage because he was so rich. Then after some genius looked his family up on the internet they started saying that the mafia had killed him as revenge for his successful rescue of his father.

Not that anyone knew exactly how Artemis Fowl I had been recovered from the mafia. It wasn't even proven that he'd been kidnapped really. But everyone knew the boy genius had something to do with it.

There many other rumors but the mafia one was the most widely excepted. Most of the other rumors were really ridicules too. He'd been kidnapped by aliens or he'd been turned into a vampire and shit like that.

In fact most still believe the vampire story. He'd always had a pallid completion and when he'd reappeared he was said to have looked exactly the same age as when he'd disappeared three years previously. Not a day over 15 the media had claimed.

The girls had especially liked that theory. None of them had known Artemis before his disappearance since back then St. Bartleby's was still an all boy school. So they didn't really know that he'd _already _been that pale. And his high vocabulary didn't help. Some of the dimmer one's were convinced that he was actually over a hundred years old.

I mean how thick can you get? He'd been missing for three years not three centuries. If he'd been turned during that time he'd still be 17 right now. And before the disappearance he'd aged just like any normal boy.

He hadn't only been talked about at St. Bartleby's of course. The story of his disappearance had been all over the news that first year. It seemed that everyone around the world was watching the investigation praying that the poor Fowl heir would be found. And there had been a leak about Artemis Fowl's body guard had going mad with grief. He'd apparently been convinced that his young charge was in limbo saving a family of demons. I don't know how much merit that particular rumor should be given. I mean honestly demons? That body guard would have to be barking mad to believe that.

But after so long without any leads or evidence people lost interest and Artemis was presumed dead.

When Artemis suddenly returned out of thin air the media went crazy again. The paparazzi had camped out at Fowl Manor for weeks just to get a few fleeting pictures of the boy. And everyone wanted to know: Where had Artemis Fowl II been for the past three years?

No one had gotten an answer. When interviewed about it by police and news reporters Mr. and Mrs. Fowl simply said that it was the families business and that they would like their privacy respected. And that was that. End of discussion. But people still spun stories to try and explain what the mysterious boy had been doing.

Now that Artemis was back at school nobody hated him anymore. In fact everyone practically worshiped the ground he walked on. The girls fell over themselves trying to get him to notice him, the guys tried to befriend him, and the teachers and psychiatrists tried to get him to confide his secrets to them. But Artemis Fowl wasn't talking. And he still kept to himself. And he was still an annoying genius git in classes, but at least he wasn't as vicious as he'd once been. He wasn't as cruel.

I often wonder what had changed Artemis. What had he been doing those three years? But you know now that I think about it he had already changed before his famous disappearance. He'd already started getting a little well not nicer, but at least more polite. Just a little more respectful. It just took the disappearance for people to notice.

So now he was the most popular guy in school. Without ever talking to anyone they all loved him. Especially the girls. They were always chasing after him. I think three or four years ago he would have sent those girls away in tears. As it was he mostly ignored them, much to my relief. He would politely rebuff there advances. I knew he wasn't gay, of course I knew. And I wasn't gay either, not really. I like girls just as much as the next guy. I just like guys too. So yeah I'm bisexual if you want to label it.

I knew he was straight because I'd once seen him with his girlfriend. She'd visited him at school once you see. She was blond and very pretty. A petit little French girl who dressed in very expensive cloths that didn't leave a whole lot to the imagination if you know what I mean.

I remember being shocked when I saw her. She had been waiting for Artemis in our dorm room and had jumped into his arms the second we'd walked through the door.

"Artemis!" she had cried. "Oh how I've missed you!" her voice had had a trace of an accent that I was pretty sure was French. I couldn't be sure though since I'd never been to France or meet anyone who was from there.

"Minerva what a delightful surprise." Artemis had responded while awkwardly hugging the excited girl back. I'd thought I'd have a heart attack right there in then. Artemis Fowl awkward? Worse Artemis Fowl _hugging _someone? And this little French girl to boot! I had still been harboring the hope that Artemis was gay at this point. So seeing him with this girl was like a punch in the gut.

Minerva grinned at Artemis with such radiance you couldn't help but smile. At least a little.

She then kissed both his cheeks in a very French manner. Artemis actually _blushed._

"Please Minerva." He scolded her gently.

"What?" Minerva said innocently. It was at this point I decided to let my presence be known by clearing my throat.

"Oh hello!" The little blond said finally noticing me.

"Er, hi."

"This is my roommate Dale. Dale this is Minerva." Artemis introduced us. I noticed that he didn't call her his girlfriend. Then again he didn't call her his cousin either. And I you wouldn't see Artemis Fowl II hugging just _any _girl now would you?

It was very awkward for me for the rest of that day. I quickly realized why Artemis was interested in Minerva. She was a genius too. The two of them were soon discussing some scientific theories and other smart gibberish that went way over my head while playing a very slow game of chess and basically ignoring me. She stayed until it started to get dark out. Then she had to sneak out of the dorm. You see girls weren't supposed to be in the guys dorm at all to begin with. And it didn't help that Minerva didn't even go to our school.

I never actually asked Artemis if she was his girlfriend. I was afraid to quite frankly.

While I'd been reliving my meeting with Minerva Artemis had continued sitting silently and staring at the floor. I was still sitting on the other side of his bed looking anywhere but at him.

We continued like that for a few more minutes. Finally Artemis said, "I apologize for waking you." _Why did he always have to talk so formally? Why couldn't he just relax?_

"It's no problem dude." I assure him. Artemis stops looked up and meet my eyes with his strange ones. They're hypnotic those mismatched eyes. Mesmerizing. I still wonder about those eyes. His eyes weren't like that before. He wears a blue eye contact during the day. I'm the only one who's seen his hazel eye. He told me that he was born with his eyes like that and that he's always worn the contact. I didn't believe a word of it, but then again how would I know? I'd never even spoken to the guy back then. And I liked the fact that he trusted me with this secret. I was the only one who knew and I liked it that way.

"Um… do you want to talk about it?" I ask tentatively.

Artemis's face harden's into that indifferent mask I'm so used to seeing. "No." He answered coldly.

I swallowed nervously. "S-sorry. It's just that… I mean it's none of my business-"

"You're right it _is _none of your business." Artemis interrupted me.

"I know. But I heard what you were saying. You were talking in your sleep and…" I trail off.

His eyes widen and he sits up ramrod straight, a brief look of panic flashed across his face before he schooled his features and got his aloof mask back in place. I sigh. _Why does it have to panic him? Why can't he just open up to me?_ I'm silent for a moment more as I stare at him. He isn't looking at me again. He's staring straight ahead, expressionless.

"Look Artemis." I try again.

"It was a long time ago." Artemis whispered hoarsely. His voice is so quite that I can just barely make out what he said.

"What was a long time ago?" I whisper back. It's like I'm afraid of scaring him off by being too loud. If I was thinking that I was going to get any more out of him though, I am sadly mistaken. He just shakes his head and presses his lips together firmly, refusing to reveal anymore.

We sit there for another long moment without saying anything else. Then Artemis breaks the silence again. "What time is it?" He asks.

It's such a simple thing to say. I'm surprised to hear it coming out of Artemis Fowl's mouth. But I guess even vampires need their beauty sleep. I look at my digital clock and see that it's already half past four.

"It's four thirty four." I tell him. He sighed again and gets his laptop from the nightstand by his bed. "I might as well stay up then." He decided.

I frowned at this. "You're going to stay up all night?"

"Hardly all night, Dale. I've already gotten some sleep and I normally wake up at five anyway." Artemis replied. My frown deepens. I'd gone to bed particularly late last night, around midnight, and Artemis had still been up. He always goes to bed after me and then wakes up at 5? How much sleep was he getting?

"What time did you go to bed?" I asked him sternly. Artemis raised an eyebrow at my tone. "My sleeping patterns are none of your concern Dale. Now why don't you go back to bed? You still have another three hours left to you before you need to be awake." I hate it when he talks to me this way. He's so condescending. So _patronizing._ It's bloody enraging.

So I cross my arms petulantly and glare at him. "If you're not going to sleep then I'm not going to either." I say stubbornly. It isn't until after I've said it that I realize how childish I sound.

Artemis gives me an amused grin. But he's too dignified to laugh at me. At least I hope that's the case. I don't think I'd be able to take it if he laughed at me. I'd die of shame and embarrassment.

"Well would you mind staying up in your own bed? Not that mine isn't spacious enough for the two of us, but I'd rather not share it." I quickly scramble off the bed, my face scarlet. I think I hear him chuckle, but it's so quiet and fleeting I can't be sure.


	2. The Fairy Thief

**The Fairy Thief**

I didn't last very long. After almost an hour of watching Artemis's pale pianist fingers type restlessly on his keyboard I fell asleep to the comforting clicks of Artemis's company. After all I could only marvel at his abnormally long pointer finger for so long.

When I woke up I found that Artemis had already left the dorm, leaving me to snooze my alarm too many times and then rush to get ready for class and skip breakfast. _And He'd always been such a considerate roommate too. _I thought sarcastically.

My first few classes were the usual boor with teachers frantically trying to cram as much math, grammar, and science into our heads as possible before our final exams next month. I was a good student and paid avid attention, momentarily forgetting about Artemis Fowl the second.

That is until I went to art. This just happened to be one of the only classes I shared with Artemis. We probably would have shared most of our classes if it weren't for the fact that his were way too advanced for me. The school liked to put kids into as many classes as possible with their roommates so we could bond and feel comfortable together. But that had been impossible us.

My isle was right next to Artemis's and I often got distracted in this class. Not that it was a subject that required a whole lot of concentration really, but my assignments were often a tad later then the other students. Mr. Fletcher just thought I was a slow and careful artist.

Today we were having one of our class discussions. Mr. Fletcher liked to keep the class informed with what was happening in the art world so whenever something happened that he considered important he would want us to talk about it and express our opinions. If there was a new artist in town he would want to know our opinion of the original paintings and we'd discuss the artist. Or if there was a discovery of some new piece of precious art by someone that was really famous, and long dead, he would want to know what we thought of the painting or whatever.

His favorite topic for our class discussions was on the infamous "Fairy Thief". Nicknamed for the first painting he had recovered, the Fairy Thief was a mysterious benefactor of paintings that had been thought lost or that no one had realized existed. He would donate these paintings to random museums around the world anonymously. Nobody had a clue who this guy was, and everyone was baffled by how exactly he found these paintings in the first place.

I had been watching Artemis paint for the last few minutes and with a start I tuned in to the conversation.

"And so the Fairy Thief strikes again!" Mr. Fletcher was saying dramatically. "Where does he get these paintings from? Many have speculated this mystery. What do you guys think? Come on speak up!"

A cheerleader, Kaitlin something-or-other, in the front row raised her hand hesitantly. "Well maybe he found a ware house or something? Like one of those really old ones that is bordered up and forgotten. And it had the paintings? Or something?" I was very aware of Artemis chuckling softly beside me at this. He usually painted during our discussions and would ignore us all completly. He did join in on the conversation occasionally with an opinion, but for the most part he would seem absorbed in whatever he was working on. He never said anything when we talked about the Fairy Thief. Today he looked to be painting a forest scene of some kind. Out of the corner of my eye I could just make out what would soon be the night sky.

"I suppose that's plausible." Fletcher allowed skeptically.

"Sure it is." Sam Dooley whispered loudly enough for the whole class to hear him and several students sniggered myself included. Kaitlin stuck her tong out at him while the teacher just gave him a stern look.

David Griffiths raised his hand next. Not that this was a surprise to anyone. "I've said this before and I'll say it again. He stole them all. It's as simple as that."

"But _who _did he steal them from David?" Alaina Labelle argued in an exasperated tone. This was a theory that we'd all heard one too many times before.

"I dunno, does it matter? He's exactly what his name says, a thief." David said stubbornly. It was very likley I supposed, I'd have to give him that. But I couldn't think where he would have stolen them from. Then I had a thought.

"Well, maybe he got them from the private collections of rich art fanatics? Like I guess if someone discovered a famous painting instead of giving it to a museum they might sell it to a rich art collector. And the Fairy Thief would then steal it from the private collection and donate it for the public to see." I said.

Out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of Artemis's brief grin.

"So he's like Robin Hood." Lena Calhoun sighed. All the girls seemed to like this idea.

"But he would need to steal from a whole lot of rich people to get all the paintings he's donated. And wouldn't someone rich enough to have these paintings in the first place have security to keep things like that from happening? I mean you'd think a billionaire would have very tight security wouldn't you? He'd be caught by now. It's not possible" Alaina said dismissively my theory.

"Well then "Fairy Thief" is a very apt name wouldn't you agree?" Artemis said. Everyone turned to stare at him. This was the first time he'd said anything about the Fairy Thief and we all wanted to know what his opinion was.

"What do you mean?" Alaina asked.

"Well if Dale's theory is correct then he is indeed a thief. And he's evidently achieved what most would perceive as the impossible. Perhaps it's magic?" Artemis didn't look up from his painting as he answered Alaina. I peeked over his shoulder to look at his painting. He'd drawn a huge old oak tree in a forest clearing under a starry night sky. He was putting the finishing touches to the large full moon while he talked.

"Magic? That's ridicules. You don't really believe that do you?" Alaina obviously didn't believe it. But she also didn't want to get on Artemis's bad side. I think she was trying to figure out whether or not Artemis was joking. He looked completely serious to me. But then again he always looked serious.

Artemis finally looked up at Alaina and gave her an amused smile. "Well of course I don't believe in fairies! I'm offended that you could think I'd be so foolish." He shook his head. "No, the idea of a race of magical beings existing is preposterous. Notice I had said _what most would perceive_ as impossible." He gave Alaina his classic patronizing smile as he continued his lecture. She looked quite put out by this point. "Obviously with modern technology it is no mean feat to steal from someone as wealthy as say…" Artemis looked around the room for a moment before his eyes met David's. "Someone as wealthy as the Griffiths family is for example." Now everyone turned to look at David.

"I'm sure you're father has the best security money can buy. Isn't that right David?"

David glared at his Artemis as he answered proudly. "Yes, that's right."

"But I'm sure you'd agree with me when I say that it is indeed possible for someone to break into your lovely mansion?" David nodded. "Well, yeah I guess…"

"But who could break into David's house?" Alaina questioned stubbornly.

"Why a criminal mastermind would find it a very simple matter. Any genius would." Artemis said simply. He then returned his attention to his incomplete painting.

The class stared at Artemis for several minutes, waiting for him to continue. Even though he had a tendency to talk down to you, there was something about him that made you want to listen to him talk for hours and hours.

Mr. Fletcher clapped his hands together. "Well! Thank you Mr. Fowl for that insightful opinion. Anybody else have a comment they'd like share?"

"I wish we knew who he was. They should give the Fairy Thief an award for what he does. He's like a hero!" Paul McGauran said.

"They'd put him in jail stupid." Sam told him.

"We do not call our classmates stupid Samuel." Mr. Fletcher admonished.

"Sorry sir." He apologized, not sounding sorry at all.

"Well I think he deserves to be put in the slammer. He's a thief!" Predictably this was from David.

"Jeez, just give it a rest Dave. Everyone's getting tired of hearing your cra-cruddy… talk." Sam said with a wary glance at the glaring Mr. Fletcher.

"Mr. Dooley I'm warning you…"

"What? I said _cruddy_!" Sam retorted.

While this whole banter had been going on I'd been thinking. _A genius_. Artemis had said. Well the only genius I knew was Artemis Fowl II. Could he be the Fairy Thief?

"I think he's a student." I said.

"What was that Mr. Enright?" Mr. Fletcher asked.

"I think the Fairy Thief is around our age." I watched Artemis carefully out of the corner of my eye for a reaction as I said this. I think I saw him pause. He'd been adding a river into the clearing with the oak and his paint brush was now poised in the act of creating a bend around the oak tree. So he was listening.

"What makes you think that?" Sam asked me incredulously.

"Well is it just me or do most of these paintings appear during or after the school holidays? I mean we just got back from spring break. And we got the most paintings during winter break." I folded my arms together, pleased with my argument.

"We've been back for over three weeks dude and this painting was barely donated now." Sam said.

"I'd expect he held on to the painting for a few weeks after each heist in order to divert the more observant from guessing his age." Artemis said.

I grinned at him. This was almost a record for him as far as class participation went and both times he'd spoken he'd been agreeing with me.

"Yeah, what Artemis said. He was trying to hide his age." I couldn't help but feel a little warmth for the guy right then. Crush notwithstanding. I wanted to give him a high five or something. But he was still busy with his painting. Which was almost done and turning out very beautifully, like all his paintings did.

"That's a very interesting theory Dale but I don't think a kid could pull something like that off. He'd need to have remarkable resources as well as be… well..." Mr. Fletcher trailed off.

"Precocious?" Artemis suggested.

"Er, y-yes I suppose." Fletcher stammered.

"Precock-what?" Lena Calhoun said.

"To be precocious is to be exceptionally early in development or occurrence. For example a child prodigy who learns to play Mozart on the piano by the tender age of four." Artemis explained.

"Oh…"

"Are _you _the Fairy Thief Artemis?" Kaitlin asked excitedly. Artemis raised an eyebrow at her. "Whatever drew you to that conclusion?"

"You're, like, a genius! And you like art so..."

"So therefore I must be the Fairy Thief?"

"Yeah!" A lot of the kids in the class nodded and made noises of agreement. We'd all come to the same conclusion as Kaitlin.

But Artemis waved his hand dismissively and returned his gaze to his painting once again. "I have better things to do with my time then to squander it saving art pieces. An art lover I may be but my time is precious, Miss Del Verrocchio." I mentally snapped my fingers together. _That_ was her last name.

Kaitlin Del Verrocchio looked like she was about to argue, but before she could Alaina spoke up again.

"But I still don't see _how _he could have broken into the houses of so many rich guys without being caught!"

"It doesn't matter how he did it Alaina! Jeez." Sam was exasperated.

She appealed to Artemis. "Don't you know how he did it?"

"How who did what?" Artemis said absently. His indifferent act wasn't fooling me though. I knew he'd been listening closely to this discussion the whole time.

"Broke into those houses! Like if he broke into David's house how would he do it?"

"I haven't the slightest idea how he broke into, excuse me _could break into_, Mr. Griffiths home. But I assure you it could be done. The specifics shouldn't concern you."

"But-"

"Jeez, Alaina! Just shut up about it already!" Sam said angrily.

"Mr. Dooley!"

"Sorry Mr. Fletcher." He said while rolling his eyes.

"Why though?" Paul asked.

"Why what Mr. McGauran?" Mr. Fletcher said.

"Why does he even bother? What's in it for him?" Paul clarified.

"Um, fame?" Sam offered.

"But he does it anonymously there's no fame in that."

"He's an art lover." Kaitlin said.

"So? Mr. Fletcher is an art lover. You don't see him stealing priceless artifacts and donating them to the public." Paul reasoned.

"Well Paul if I had the ability to do that I most certainly would." Mr. Fletcher said with a grin.

"Maybe that's it." I said thoughtfully.

"What's it?" Sam asked.

"Maybe he just does it because he can." I told him. I caught Artemis's give a small smile.

"But what's the point of that?" Paul said.

"I dunno." I said with a shrug.

"Well whatever his reason the art world is lucky to have people like the Fairy Thief recovering paintings." Mr. Fletcher said.

And that closed today's discussion of the Fairy Thief.


End file.
